Quake measuring 5.7 strikes off northwest Turkish coast

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - An earthquake of 5.7 magnitude struck just off Turkey's northwestern Aegean coast on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The quake occurred 59 miles southwest of the Turkish city of Canakkale at a depth of 6.1 miles and was felt in Istanbul to the east and in Athens in the west.

The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the quake struck 25 miles off the coast of the Greek island of Lemnos. A police official in Lemnos told Reuters there were no reports of any injuries or damage on the island so far.

"It was a very strong quake even though the epicenter was in the sea," an official at the Athens Geodynamic Institute said.

Greece is often rattled by earthquakes, most causing no serious damage. A 5.9 magnitude quake in 1999 killed 143 people.

(Reporting by Jonathon Burch in Istanbul and Renee Maltezou in Athens; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Pravin Char)